Seam-compressing machine



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G. W. & J. W. GRIM. SBAM GOMPRBSSING MACHINE.

No. 434,322. Patented Aug. 1 18.90.

I m uewfow UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \VASHINGTON CRlM AND JOHN IVILLIAM CRIM, OF NEV MARKET,

VIRGINIA.

SEAM-COMPRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 434,322, dated August12, 1890.

Application filed January 30, 1890. Serial No. 338,586. (No model.)

'To all whom it may concern.-

- chine for Compressing the Seams of Sheet Metal, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to machines for compressing the seams of sheetmetal; and it has for its object to provide a machine which shall besimple in construction, inexpensive, and easily operated, and by meansof which ordinary single seams may be compressed so as to formlock-seams, which, without necessity for soldering, shall besufficiently secure to enable the sheets thus joined to be manipulatedwithout danger of coming apart.

The invention consists in theimproved construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts which will be h ereinafter fullydescribed, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is a perspective view of. ourimproved seaming-machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View showing the sheetsof metal in position for being operated upon. Fig. 4 is a bottom view ofthe carriage, having the forming and compressing rollers. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the ends of two sheets of metal the edges of whichhave been joined by a single seam, ready to be operated upon by ourimproved machine. Fig. 6 is a similar View, showing the sheets of metalafter the seam has been compressed by the machine. Fig. 7 is a side viewillustrating a modification in the construction of the machine.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in all the figures.

1 designates the base of a machine which is provided with uprights 2 2,the upper ends of which have openings 3, in which is seated a cross-bar4:- The latter is vertically adj ustable, either by means of set-screws,as'shown at 5, or by any other suitable means, such as keys or wedges ofdifferent thicknesses. This is for the purpose of adj ustingthe saidcross bar according to the thickness of the metal which is to beoperated upon.

7 designates the longitudinallymovable carriage, which is composed ofthe side pieces 8 8, between which are journaled the forming and thecompressing rollers, which are designated respectively by 9 and 10. Theforming-roller 9 has a shallow annular groove 11, of a width equal tothe width of the seam. The face of the compressing-roller may either bestraight or slightly convexed. Likewise journaled between the sidepieces of the carriage is a track-roller 12, which bears against theunder side of the bar-4:. The opposite sides of the carriage areprovided with ha'ndles 13, adapted to be grasped by the operator.

The cross-bar 4 is provided in its underside with a longitudinal groove14, in which the the gage-arms 15 are hinged loosely upon transversepins or bolts. Said gage-arms extend downwardly nearly to the base 1,and they are so arranged as to be in alignment with the rear edge of thegroove 11 in the formingroll, and they serve to stop the. seamed sheetsof metal as they are being placed in position in the machine by cominginto contact with the edge of the seam, thus insuring the placing of thematerial in the machine in true position forbeing operated upon. I

Suit-ably attached to -the front edge of the base are the posts 18, uponthe inner sides of which are journaled rollers 19. These rollers performthe. double function of gaging the position of the sheetsthat are to beoperated upon and of holding the said sheets flat upon the base whilethey are being operated upon. One or both of the posts 18 may belongitudinally adjustable upon the 'base. The adjustment may beeffected, for instance, by mounting the said posts in alongitudinalgroove in the base and securing them at any desiredadjustment by means of set-screws. The machine will thereby be adaptedto operate upon sheets of different width.

The base is provided in the rear of the longitudinal movable carriagewith guide-flanges 20, to guide the sheets as they leave the machine.Provision may be made for the adj 11stment of said flanges by mountingthe latter 10o detachably by means of stud-bolts or in any othersuitable manner.

To the front edge of the base of the mach ne is hinged a drop-leaf 22,which, when ralsed, forms a table upon which the work may be placed bythe operator and from which t may be conveniently fed to the machine. 10the rear edge of the base are hinged the arms 23, at the outer ends ofwhich is journaled a shaft 24, carrying a roller 25, upon which thesheets may be wound as they leave the machine. The roller-shaft isprovided with a crank 26,by means of which it maybe turned, and with aratchet-wheel 27, engaging a pawl 28, which holds the roller againstunwinding. The pawl 28 may be pivoted to one of the hinged arms 23. Whenthe machine is not in use the drop-leaf may be lowcred and the hingedarms carrying the roll may be raised to an upright position, so that themachine will occupy but little room.

The operation of this invention will be readily understood from theforegoing description, taken in connection with the drawings heretoannexed. The seams by which the sheets are joined are formed by simplyturning the adjacent edges of the sheets in opposite directions andlocking them together. they are then placed in the machine with the scamin contact with the lower ends of the gage-arms. The operator thengrasps the handles on opposite sides of the carriage, and standing atone end of the machine pushes the carriage over the seam. The sheetoperated upon is meanwhile held in proper position by holding the scamin contact with the lower ends of the gage-arms. When the carriage ispushed forward over the seam the latter is engaged by theforming-roller, the groove in which accommodates the thickness of theseam, while the metal on both sides of the seam is forced in a downwarddirection therebylocking the seam and preventing the sheets from comingapart. hen thus joined, the sheets may be readily manipulated forroofing and other purposes without necessity for soldering the joints.The degree of pressure exerted may be regulated by theverticallyadjustable top bar 4, which forms the track, against the underside of which the trackroller 12 bears, and the said track-rollerequalizes the pressure upon the grooving and compressing rollers. Thesaid track-roller, when the carriage is pushed forward, also serves topress against the gage-arms 15 and to force them upward into the groove,where they remain out of the way until the carriage is moved back, whenthey drop by gravity back into their former position.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings we have illustrated a modification of ourinvention, which con sists in attaching to the carriage a longitudinalgage-bar 31, extending through a slot 32 in one of the uprights 2, andprovided with downwardly extending arms or gages 33, which reach nearlyto the base 1. A Slot 17 is formed in the upright 2 for the passage ofsaid arms. These arms, like the gage-arms 15, previously described, areto be in alignment with the rear edge of the groove 11 in theformingroll, and their operation is identical with that of the hingedarms 15, save that While the latter are simply swung out of the way bycontact with the track-roller, the arms 33, carried by the bar 31, arecarried through the slot 32 of upright 2 and out of the path of the matcrial which is being operated upon.

B y theherein-described arran gem cut of the gage-arms we avoid the useof springs to restore said arms to position when the carriage having theseaming and compressing rollcrsis returned.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combination ofthe base, the up rights, the track-bar, and the carriage having theforming and compressing rollers, and the gage-arms hinged in a groove inthe lower side of the track-bar, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the frame having the track-bar, of thelongitudinally-movable carriage having the forming and compressingrollers, and the vertical gage-arms connected loosely to the undersideof the track-bar and adapted to be engaged by the carriage and to dropby gravity to their normal position when not engaged by said carriage,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the frame, the longitudinally-movable carriagehaving the forming, compressing, and track rollers, the gagearms, andthe hinged arms carrying the winding-drum, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

i. The described machine for compressing seams, comprising the frame,the carriage havin g the track-rollers and the forming and compressingrollers, the posts having the gagerollers, the gage-flanges, thedrop-leaf, and the hinged arms carrying the winding-roller,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaiiixed our-signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \VASHINGTON CRIM. JOHN \VILLIAM ORIM. \Vitnesses:

S. P. SHIRLEY,

at. M. WILLIAMSON.

IIO

